Versology
Versology is the study of the multiverse and its workings, from strange dimensional phenomenons to distant worlds, or different planes of existence. While the discipline is usually little known and marginal on most worlds, on Felarya it is, unsurprisingly, very important and extensively studied. Sagolians are said to have been masters at it, gathering an encyclopedic knowledge on the subject. Dimensional Portals In most worlds, dimensional magic is seen as a rare and strange type of magic, that few beings can use due to its inherent complexity. After all, we are speaking of forces capable of twisting and distorting the fabric of reality! In Felarya however, this type of magic is much more common and, admittedly, easier to use due to the world being a crossroads between dimensions and dimensionally unstable, thus, much more malleable. An entire class of spellcasters actually specialize in dimensional magic. While it remains a hard and dangerous discipline, portal-crafting in Felarya is a basic task for any competent dimensional mage. A portal is like a two-way door from one place to another, conveniently crossing the boundaries of time and distances through the Astral Sea in Lydus. Using a portal is the most common way to enter or exit Felarya and is generally safe, although in some cases the maker of the portal could secretly place certain restrictions on it, in order to prevent someone they don't like from reaching their destination for example. However, should the portal maker die then their portal would close, aside from a handful of cases where the maker was powerful enough to keep their portals open even after their death. One peculiar portal is the great dimensional gate near Ur-Sagol. This portal is so perfect that it's a real enigma in and of itself. Galfam-Abh MURCOWIH The famous Galfam-Abh MURCOWIH (MUltiversal Research Center on Worlds Inhabited by Humans) have established an incredibly extensive list of thousands and thousands of worlds, very meticulously classed, ranked and graded. It was then turned into an extremely useful encyclopedia. Not only does it offer a gigantic database for each of those places, but it also provides the reader with much useful advice on to how live - or survive - on them. The MURCOWIH has quickly become a mandatory tool for any dimensional traveler, human or not. =Known Worlds= Spiritual Worlds Spiritual Worlds are worlds where souls and spirits become tangible objects that can be touched and interacted with. They are inhabited by supernatural creatures such as Ceiciels or Demons and various astral denizens. One can travel to these worlds spiritually or physically, in some cases. Hell Hell is an immense myriad of very dangerous worlds and realms inhabited by beings comprised of negative energy called demons and countless monsters and abominations. Heaven Heaven is an immense collection of beautiful and serene worlds made of positive energies and inhabited by ceiciels, angels and other celestial creatures. Lydus Lydus is also known as the "Astral Sea", an endless ocean tying every worlds together. Lydus is nowhere and anywhere. Physical Worlds What is known as the Physical World is that part of the universe where only physical objects are tangible, and spirits and souls remain, for the most part, entirely intangible and immaterial. Most Physical worlds come mostly under the form of planets and other celestial objects floating in space. Worlds accessible from Negav's portal: Originally, the dimensional gate situated next to the city of Negav was meant as an access to Belerim, but due to a phenomenon called flux convergence it has started to lead to a few others worlds as well. Those paths have been barred or restricted for the most part, but they do exist and one could theoretically use them under special circumstances. Mebron Mebron is the home world of the Ps'isol Magiocrat Baltazhar Gramon. It's a small, serene world of green plains, gentle hills and lush forests. The Galfam-Abh MURCOWIH archives describe Mebron as an "Agrisphere B-20 type" : a world almost entirely devoted to agriculture. Its lack of any mineral resources has made it pretty backward in technology, and the world is a lot more known for its excellent cuisine than for any sort of scientific prowess. Life here would be idyllic if it wasn't for the occasional raids from the Telks pirates, a violent group of inter-dimensional bandits plundering prosperous worlds. Since Gramon's accession to the council, Mebron has become closer and closer to Negav, receiving help from the powerful Felaryan city to defend itself against the Telks, and trading in return its large surplus of food to help feed it. Belerim Belerim is a large city nestled in a vertical pocket dimension. It appears as an immense metropolis floating in a dark dusky sky, surrounded by several smaller islands cities. The air around is buzzing with activity, mainly military and police ships patrolling and lighting up the night with powerful beams of light. Imposing cannons slowly rotate on top of massive towers, scrutinizing the sky for any enemy. Belerim is nicknamed "the city of the night" as its night cycle seems to never end. It's far from dark though, with illuminations and glittering lights shining from everywhere. It's an overpopulated city, with some extremely wealthy districts, and some that are plunged in abject poverty. Its ruled by the Palogio, the Belerian equivalent of a king. Several rich dynasties of merchants compete over the title, in an often messy and ruthless power struggle. Some compare the politics of Belerim to a war between powerful mafias. Belerim is recognized as a trading powerhouse by many worlds, but it's mostly famous for its very developed dimensional network. Being situated right on a node between dozens of diverging currents on Lydus, it's an ideal place to travel to other worlds or redirect yourself from a current to another. However that privileged place pushed the Belerimi government to tightly control it, enforcing notoriously abusive prices for travelers using its hub. Belerim's relation to Felarya is mostly neutral and the portal is open most of the time. The great Hub itself is separated from the city and the link to the main island can be cut in an instant, thus protecting Belerim from any bad surprises coming from one or another portal. Korchiel Shume Shume is a small Aquatic world comprised of several islands in an endless ocean. When people from Felarya started to gain access to it, the inhabitants became alarmed of a flow of migrants and asked Negav to bar the access. Negav complied in exchange of a small tribute of fish and seafood. Hweg Varr An inhospitable mineral world. Its inhabitants are tough, warlike and hostile to strangers. When they found out they were linked to the Negav dimensional gate, they reacted by setting numerous traps and defense systems around the arrival area in case some predators would somehow be able to pass through. They reserve the same treatment to any intruders be it animals or humans. Other worlds: Balfrezagg Balfrezagg is, for the most part, a large, rugged inhospitable world of endless deserts and barren wastelands. The heat is scorching and all sort of dangerous monsters roam the land, preying on unfortunate travelers or escaped slaves. It possesses a single but very large body of water, a strange shallow sea where the water would mostly reach only to the waist of an adult human. Its shape is remarkably circular and it's surrounded by an abundant and lush vegetation, and green plains. All the human population of Balfrezagg can essentially be found all around that sea. It's a rather low technology world ruled by a small, ruthless elite that settled around the water in lavish and extravagant palaces, with large walls cutting off the access to the sea for the rest of the population and essentially dividing Frezaggi cities in two. Thus, Frezaggi people born on the wrong side of the wall live a miserable and poor life, forced into a backbreaking labor in mines across the desert in order to get carefully rationed water. Slavery is very common in this harsh and hopeless world and, sadly, slaves are the main commodity Balfrezagg has to trade trade with its neighbors. Balfrezagg is the home world of Léa. Delurah Delurah is an immense city world. It's the political, economic and industrial capital of the Deluran empire. That huge and multi-layered metropolis is a harsh place where metal is everywhere. The air is hot and acrid filled by the roars of countless engines and the ground seem to vibrate slightly under the feet, as some unseen, massive machinery is working below the surface. The city seems to be constantly expanding and changing; the face of a whole block can look radically different from one week to another, with buildings seeming to grow like mushrooms amid a constant stream of fog. The Deluran technology is moderately advanced; powerful machines and engines can be seen everywhere but they are typically very loud and the steam they release stings the eyes. Delurah is a melting pot of several cultures that can hardly stand each other, each with their own districts, large as countries. They went to war with each others several times in the past, leaving the city riddled by scars from previous conflicts. Some districts have become uninhabitable as a result and are still restricted zones decades after. For example a famous train station was bombarded with poison gas and remain a dead zone today, with noxious fumes forbidding its entry. Wealthy areas are protected by a massive and ruthless police presence operating from their fortress headquarters and balloon airships. Security is only for the rich and powerful though, and the poorer areas are left to organized crime and powerful mafias, claiming whole districts, making their own rules and sometimes possessing their own armies. Years ago, Delurah sent a small scouting force to Felarya that remain stranded to this day. Anna Demorah was part of it. Londore Londore is a small world made of two large continental masses with a vast number of smaller islands in between them. Climate ranges from tropical to subarctic. Originally seen as a refuge for mages fleeing persecution, this backwater world has prospered and grown into a quiet little community. Londorean people are very isolationist and, above everything else, fear being invaded by an outside world. They strive to avoid being noticed, to the point where inter-dimensional travel is illegal and punishable by harsh sentences. Magic is common in Londore, and many magic schools exist across the land. It's the home world of the naga Katrika. *Londore belongs to Zoekin.